Rotorua lobbyist Lyall Thurston has vowed to continue the fight for mandatory fortification of bread.
After an eight-week consultation period, Minister for Primary Industries Kate Wilkinson yesterday announced the fortification of bread with folate will remain voluntary, bitterly disappointing Mr Thurston who has spent the past 30 years campaigning to make it mandatory.
Ms Wilkinson said the clear message she received was that people wanted choice - 88 of the 134 submissions supported voluntary fortification.
She said the Government would continue to work with the bread industry to increase the fortification rate up to 50 per cent and would continue initiatives such as subsidised folic acid tablets for women of child-bearing age.
Mr Thurston, a respected public health advocate and spokesman for the Coalition of Parents with Children with Spina Bifida, said his phone had been running hot since the announcement with professors, doctors and campaigners around the world expressing shock at the decision.